Since HK Libraries Connect got started, three of the four founding coordinators have left Hong Kong! But in keeping with our driving spirit, we have stayed connected. In these challenging times, we thought it would be great to check in with our alum and see how they are getting on. Over the next few weeks, our three globetrotting colleagues will answer the same (more or less) set of questions.
First up - the one and only Ms. Chloe Lei!
Where in the world are you right now?
Chloe is clearly adapting well to the Zoom lifestyle!
I am in Montreal, Canada right now. Summer is beautiful here, let’s just not mention winter…
What have you been up to professionally?
For the past year or so, I have been focusing on open educational resources (OER) as a librarian at Concordia University. This is an exciting area with a lot of potential for collaborations with faculty. It is also important because it has a huge cost-saving aspect for students in terms of course materials, especially textbooks. In building up a program to support OER, one area that proved to be very important but something I had little experience with before, was the publishing process. So, overall, I have been learning a lot and familiarizing myself with new things within a rather short period of time. Well that, in a nutshell, is why I love being a librarian!
What do you miss most about Hong Kong?
The complete list would be rather long, but just to highlight a few:
Minibuses - For their efficiency of course, but also minibus drivers, for their unapologetic style!
Café de Coral - For a period of time I got bored of it when I was in Hong Kong. But now that it’s gone from my life, I miss it so much!
Canteens/eateries run by social enterprises – There are quite a few of them at HKBU, and the food they serve is always affordable and homey!
Hiking – There are so many hiking trails and they are very easy to get to by public transit. No need to worry about parking or carpooling!
How have you been coping with COVID-19?
I have been working from home since mid-March, and this will continue until at least the end of this year. I feel very fortunate that I still have a job and can work in the comfort of my home. Working from home can be isolating, but overall I am coping fine. Transitioning to conducting consultations and workshops online has been a challenge. Although there are many tools out there that make working remotely possible, at the same time, I recognize that there is something unique about the face-to-face experience that simply cannot be replaced.
True to the spirit of HK Libraries Connect, have you been involved in any projects/initiatives/networks to connect with other library professionals?
I haven’t joined any association officially, but I consider myself very much part of the OER community. It is very active with many people so willingly share resources and ideas. For example, the Rebus Community has done some amazing work in building such a community for collaborative and open publishing. You can find so many useful resources there and different ways to get involved in projects.
Are there any resources/tools/platforms (anything really) that you think would be of interest to the readers of the HK Libraries Connect blog?
I got quite interested in H5P, a plugin you can install on websites (e.g. Moodle, WordPress) to create interactive content. I have used H5P on Moodle, and also Pressbooks, a book publishing platform based on Wordpress. I think the best part is that content created by H5P can be easily embedded, modified, and reused, so I can easily mix and match things as I want for different purpose.
Chloe’s original HK Libraries Connect contributor profile can be found here: https://www.hklibconnect.org/blog/2016/6/17/hklc-contributor-profile-chloe